**Introduction and reason for purchase**
I am a big fan of fragrances and love anything from 'cheap and cheerful' EDT's from the likes of Avon, Body Shop etc to the more premium scents from top designers and in the past I've been a fan in particular of Calvin Klein fragrances. A long time ago my old workplace (a cafe bar) was holding a 'Calvin Klein evening' and as it wasn't a night I was working my manager kindly saved me a few freebies; one of which was a gift set which incorporated a few small sample sized perfumes and this is where my love of CK fragrances began. After a few years though I tired a little of Obsession and Eternity but was not impressed either with the introduction of the newer CK fragrances and my attention was lead away towards the likes of Jean Paul Gaultier.

Fast forward to the Summer of 2011 where my husband's aunty returned from holiday informing us that she had found a bottle of Calvin Klein 'Euphoria' under a bed in guest house where she was staying. As no one owned up to owning it she was told to keep it and gave it to me as it 'wasn't her cup of tea'. Although the bottle only had a 1/2 of the fragrance remaining I wore it until it ran out recently though was lucky enough to receive a gift set for my recent birthday containing another (full) bottle.

My review will now discuss my thoughts on wearing Calvin Klein 'Euphoria'..



**Price, packaging and availability**
Euphoria was originally launched back in 2005 and was created by Dominique Ropion, Carlos Benaim and Loc Dong. These names mean absolutely nothing to me unfortunately but I'm sure to people in the 'know' they are well known in the world of perfumery.


Euphoria is available as an EDP and is presented in an odd looking bottle and to be honest I can't decide whether I really like the design or think it to be a bit of a let down. Presented in a curved, slightly oval shaped glass bottle which reminds me of a UFO the EDP is visible from the sides of the bottle which is transparent with the front and back being in a highly shined silver metal covering. To access the fragrance there is a tall and slightly unnecessarily sized silver lid where if you peer very closely the words 'euphoria Calvin Klein' are printed in white though are quite hard to make out. Once the lid is removed there is a silver nozzle and without the lid the bottle looks far more attractive on it's own.

As mentioned in my opening paragraphs I haven't actually bought this fragrance on either occasion, being gifted it and given a found bottle, but a quick type into a search engine shows that a 30ml sized bottle which I own now as part of the gift set can be bought from as little as £17 upwards. The EDP is also available in a 50ml spray form retailing at a reasonable £20 plus and the largest, the 100ml Eau de Parfum spray, can be bought from £27 +. Obviously prices will vary depending on where you choose to shop but I think for a CK product the prices are very reasonable.

Availability wise this EDP is available from most larger chemists, online, department stores and perfume shops and is quite widely available so hunting a bottle down shouldn't be too difficult.



**About the EDP**
Euphoria is classed as an 'exotic floral-fruity fragrance' and is marketed as a fragrance which is "..luminous and luscious like fruits notes of which are captured in it. Euphoria is mysterious and appealing like dark exotic flowers and it invites you to enjoy in the joys of life..."


The fragrance is made up of the following notes:
Rose hip
Japanese apple
Green leaves
Lotus
Black orchid
Red woods
Black violet
Amber



**My experience of wearing Euphoria**
When I 'discovered' CK fragrances many moons ago I went through a phase of wearing Obsession almost exclusively and was completely bewitched by it's deep and alluring fragrance. As newer fragrances were released I found myself starting to 'go off' them and I remember in particular finding CK One to be really disappointing. When my husband's aunt offered me the bottle of Euphoria I have to admit at first I wasn't sure whether it would be something I would want to wear despite it being a designer fragrance and thought she may be best offering it to my 20 yr old niece in law thinking it would be something she would prefer. On first testing it out though I have to admit I was completely smitten and knew that this would be a scent that I would wear a lot.

Although Euphoria is described as an exotic fruity floral I would have to say that the fruit element for me doesn't really come through apart from a very faint hint of the (japanese) apple. I'm not a great fan of floral based fragrances as I find them to be too overpowering though anything which contains rose in I make an exception for and the fact that this fragrance is more oriental than floral greatly helps.

On first spritzing a tiny amount of Euphoria onto my wrists and neck I found the fragrance to be warm and inviting and whilst it's sweetness is very noticeable it isn't sickly or overpowering like it could so easy have been. The rose is very evident at first, which for me pleased me no end, though this is no plain old rose scented perfume at all as all the notes incorporated shine through at some point - some more than others.

The opening notes of rose remain throughout though once the fragrance starts to settle on my skin there is a clearer crisp element which I presume to be the japanese apple. This is very subtle though and short lived and the scent takes on a warmer muskier tone once the dry down begins. The black orchid mingled with the rose hip works well and also compliments the natural scent of the green leaves which again can be detected but as with the apple are very subtle.

After a while the fragrance really becomes settled in itself and becomes deeper and sultry with the amber giving a perfect base for the exotic notes to lie on and is not only feminine, but a very deep and sexy scent to wear.

Longevity this is excellent and the tiniest amount gives good coverage as a few small spritzes can still be clearly noticed several hours later and the EDP never really seems to fade which is a bonus as it means reapplying isn't really necessary. I've sprayed this on an evening and still been able to smell it quite clearly the morning after so it's one of those scents that really makes it's mark and lingers.

I absolutely adore this scent and it's one that my husband always admires when I wear it too as he always compliments me when I use it, whereas normally I could spray myself in any other perfume or even toilet cleaner and he wouldn't notice! I've mainly worn this primarily on an evening as I feel it's slightly too heavy for general day time use though ideal for special occasions. It's both sweet and seductive and the aroma lingers when sprayed and never fails to get compliments from people when I'm wearing it so because of this I highly recommend it.

Although this is available in different versions now including Euphoria Blossom, Euphoria Spring Temptation and there is also a male version I cannot comment how these compare as I only have experience of wearing the original.

Top marks for sure

5/5